The Difference between Right and Wrong
by WannaBeRogue
Summary: Sofia learns the difference between right and wrong, but can she accept it? Femslash
1. Chapter 1

Sofia Curtis would have run from the lab towards her car if she thought she could get away with it, without anyone noticing

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Warning: **Femslash and slight language

**Author's Note: **I'm trying to write this in about three pieces, possibly two or maybe four. Please review if you like, or don't like.

**The Difference between Right and Wrong**

Part One

Sofia Curtis would have run from the lab towards her car if she thought she could get away with it without anyone noticing. As it was, she noticed a few confused looks as she passed her coworkers without so much as a glance. She couldn't look at them; couldn't face anyone, not even herself. All she wanted to do was get what had just happened as far behind her as she could. Memories haunted her as she ripped her car door open, jammed her keys into the ignition and backed up without looking around. She knew she probably shouldn't be driving what with her mind being completely absorbed and her body going through slight shock. Despite putting herself and possibly other drivers in potential danger, she just wanted, _needed_ to get home. All she wanted to do was hide out in her apartment, lock the door and ignore the world that was waiting behind it. After running through several red lights and about three stop signs she arrived to her destination. Heaving a great sigh of exhaustion, she left her car, barely remembering to lock the doors. Pushing the button for the elevator over and over again, she decided that it was taking far too long so she opted to take the three flights of stairs instead.

She sighed again, this time out of relief, as the door in front of her slowly opened and she walked inside to her private sanctuary. Locking the door behind her before turning on the lights, she rested her forehead on the hard wooden door and thought back to the event that sent her running.

Sofia was tired from the evening's events; five murders, two suicides and three car wrecks. The team hadn't had that many cases in quite some time, and exhaustion could be seen on everyone's faces. Most of the CSI had headed home already, but Sofia had decided to grab another cup of the crappy sludge they somehow called coffee before heading out. God knows how much she needed that extra boost of energy to get home. Right as she finished chugging down the black coffee she turned around to see Sara Sidle walk into the break room, a pile of folders in her hands.

"Hey," she said as she tossed her papers onto the table and strolled over to where Sofia was standing. "It's been some night, huh?"

"Yes it has," Sofia answered, her voice strained with weariness. She turned back around to the sink in order to wash her mug. It felt heavy in her hands, making her realize that she might have pushed herself too hard that night. Not noticing Sara edge closer to her, she felt her body hum as the slightly taller woman reached across her to get a clean mug. For quite some time now, she had admitted to herself that she had very strong feelings for the dark haired CSI. She also acknowledged that nothing was ever going to happen with those feelings. Loving a coworker was wrong, and loving another woman was almost equally as wrong. At least, that's what everyone had always told her. For all she knew, Sara was oblivious to the feelings that were held for her, but, as Sofia noticed Sara lingering across her, she thought, maybe Sara isn't oblivious at all.

Clearing her throat as she noticed the warmth that radiated off of Sara slip away, Sofia tried to distract herself with conversation, her hands still scrubbing the mug. "So," she nodded towards the table. "You plan on finishing that paperwork or are you going to rest for once."

Sara smiled, looking down at the coffee she was pouring into her mug. "I _was_ planning on staying a little later to finish up some work. I have nothing else going on tonight, so I may as well do something useful, right?" She looked into Sofia's eyes in what Sofia could only describe as a challenge; a challenge to give Sara something better to do than paperwork. After taking a deep breath Sofia turned back to her mug, not really seeing anything as she tried to find a way to break the obvious tension in the air. Sara looked down too, eyebrows frowning as she noticed the huge amounts of steam rising from the pouring water. Sofia's hands were bright red. "Aren't your hands burning?"

"What?" Sofia focused, and she finally felt her hands smoldering under the hot water. Gasping she dropped the mug and it shattered. "Crap!"

"Here," Sara leaned over her again, turning the faucet off as Sofia began to hurriedly pick up the broken pieces. Just as Sara began to reach into the sink to help, Sofia felt their bare arms brush softly against each other and she squeezed the hand holding the shattered pieces a bit too tightly.

"Shit!" She dropped the pieces back into the sink, covered in a thin layer of blood. Her palm was bleeding heavily as she turned the water back on, waiting for a moment to let it cool before shoving her hand under the water.

"Oh my God," Sara murmured as she grabbed paper towels. "How bad is it?"

"It's nothing, really; just a scratch." Sofia, now able to see the cut clearly under the flowing water noticed that she had a fairly large chunk of mug sticking out of her flesh. Grimacing slightly she pulled it out, tears beginning to sting her eyes as the pain shot through her hand, but she willed them not to fall. She hated looking weak, especially in front of coworkers.

"It doesn't look like a just a scratch." Sara scolded as she firmly took Sofia's hand in her own, ignoring the blonde woman's feeble attempt to pull away. Trying to overlook how soft Sara's hand felt, Sofia winced as Sara applied the paper towels to the cut and pressed down firmly. During this entire process Sofia had watched Sara's face and the concern that covered it. A strand of dark hair fell across the focused face and Sofia's other hand itched to tuck it behind the woman's ear. She raised her hand slightly just as Sara's eyes lifted to meet her gaze. Sofia's breath had somehow left her body as dark eyes held her own blue eyes captive. There bodies were close, too close for Sofia's comfort. She needed to put an end to the spell Sara was casting.

"I think the bleedings stopped," Sofia whispered, not even bothering to look down at her hand; her hand that was still being held in those incredibly soft hands. She tried pulling her hand away again, only to find that Sara wasn't quite finished with her magic. Tugging the blonde woman forward slightly, Sara silently closed the gap between them, their mouths less than an inch away from each other. Sofia's eyes fluttered shut as she felt warm lips graze against her own. The last thing Sofia thought before Sara's lips descended fully onto her own was that Sara was definitely _not_ oblivious. As Sara molded her lips to Sofia's, Sofia felt her body begin to tighten. Instantly she became aware of her surrounding. She could hear the noises of the lab as a whisper just beyond the door to the break room. The hum of the refrigerator seemed to be yelling into her ears. Her nose was full of the mixed scent of coffee and an aroma that was distinctly Sara. The dull throbbing of her hand seemed insignificant compared to the fingers that were gently holding onto it. Her lips, her lips were frozen, like the rest of her body, and she suddenly became afraid. She jumped back abruptly, feeling pain as her hand was wrenched from Sara's grasp.

"Sofia, I-"

"Don't." Sofia held up her good hand to stop Sara from saying whatever she had planned on saying. "I… I need to get going." And with that she turned around and nearly ran out the door.

Back in her apartment Sofia hit her head against the door a few times before turning around and looking down at her wounded hand, the only light being provided by the street lamps outside her window. She decided to sleep the night off, pretend nothing had happened. As she finished brushing her teeth and washing her face she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Less than an hour ago she had been kissed by Sara Sidle, woman of her dreams and what did she do? She ran away; like a coward.

"You're an idiot," she muttered, not breaking eye contact with herself. "You're a hopeless, insecure idiot who can't let yourself accept happiness even when it falls right in front of you."

With that thought crossing her mind, she turned off the lights and went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Sofia spent the next few days avoiding Sara at all costs, doing everything in her power to not be left alone with the other woman

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Warning: **Femslash and slight language

**Author's Note: **I'm trying to write this in about three pieces, possibly four. Please review if you like, or don't like.

**The Difference between Right and Wrong**

Part two

Sofia spent the next few days avoiding Sara at all costs, doing everything in her power to not be left alone with the other woman. If Sara walked into the break room, Sofia left so quickly that their eyes wouldn't even have a chance to meet. At crime scenes Sofia would opt to guard the perimeter, sending other officers to assist the CSI. In the hallways, if Sofia even heard Sara coming towards her, she would immediately turn down another corridor, even if it meant going in the opposite direction of where she needed to get to. After two weeks of avoiding Ms. Sidle, Sofia was just beginning to feel like she could last this way forever. Sure, she was miserable and scared that Sara would corner her any moment and confront her, but she was starting to trust in her skills of avoidance. That all changed as she was barely coming out of the locker room after yet another long night. All of her nights seemed to be getting longer and longer due to the fact that she hadn't slept without tossing and turning for the past week and a half. Longing to just get home and shower, she turned down the hall that led out to where her car was parked. Ten more feet and she'd be out the door, another successful shift of avoiding Sara.

"Sofia!"

Sofia's steps faltered, her body instantly recognizing the sweet voice that was calling to her from the opposite end of the corridor. She knew that she had two options: she could turn around and act as a mature adult, or she could keep walking and pretend she hadn't heard anything. It wasn't a difficult choice for her to make. Within seconds she was out the door, listening to quickening footsteps following her down the hall. Worried that Sara might actually catch up to her, Sofia speed walked to her car, opened and shut the door in a whirlwind and immediately drove out of the parking lot, not bothering to turn and see if Sara had followed her out of the building. For the entire duration of her short drive she cursed herself for running away yet again. She wanted nothing more than to be with Sara, but she knew it was wrong. It was wrong and frowned upon and she couldn't handle being with another woman. As much as she wanted Sara, she couldn't stop her self hate long enough to accept that someone could possibly want a relationship with her, even if it was just a physical relationship.

Pulling into her parking spot, she gripped the steering wheel and rested her head on her hands, all the while muttering, "Idiot, idiot, idiot…" Sighing, she got out of her vehicle and walked into the lobby. She didn't even bother waiting for the elevator and began the climb to her floor. Once inside her apartment, she began to undress, legs wobbling slightly with exhaustion. She really needed a good night's sleep. Turning on the shower she tested it to make sure it was the right temperature. Ever since the night with Sara she had been extra cautious with flowing water. Deciding that it was finally the perfect temperature, she climbed in almost groaning as the water rushed through her golden locks. Once she was done washing her body and conditioning her hair she just stood in the water, closing her eyes as it swam over her face and massaged her aching body. The next thing she knew, her nose was in excruciating pain. She opened her eyes and realized that she must have passed out while showering. Getting up, she winced and noticed that blood was pouring from her nose.

"Shit," she muttered, watching the blood swirl down the drain. Grabbing two of her towels she wrapped one around her body while simultaneously holding the other one to her throbbing face. Looking into the mirror, tears welling up in her eyes, she removed the towel and saw that her nose was definitely at an angle. Cursing herself for not going to bed immediately once she got home, Sofia heard the doorbell ring. Throwing up her hands in frustration, towel being flung to the floor, she nearly growled as she hurriedly threw on a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. Taking one last look in the mirror as the doorbell rang again followed by three knocks Sofia was slightly relieved to see that the bleeding was slowing. She quickly washed away the blood on her hands and face and ran towards the door, not remembering to check to see who it was through the peephole. The pain in her nose was immediately forgotten as she swung the door open.

"Hey," Sara said, her eyebrows instantly knitting together in a frown. "What the hell happened to your nose?"

"I pass- slipped in the shower." Sofia could feel the warm liquid beginning to gently drain from her nose again. Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, she crossed her arms and asked in a laid-back tone, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you… "She was still very alarmed by the other woman's bleeding face.

"Now's really not a good time." Sofia wiped away the trickling blood with the back of her hand. What she couldn't wipe off began dripping onto her shirt. Holding her head up a little higher, she began to close the door. Sara's hand immediately shot out to hold the door open.

"Will it ever be a good time?" Her voice was soft and strong. She was no longer focused on the bleeding nose, but instead her eyes were piercing the now sheepish eyes of Sofia.

"No, I guess not." Sofia muttered, giving in as she opened the door a little wider to allow Sara in. Closing the door behind them, she turned to the dark haired woman. "Can you just give me a second to deal with… this?" She gestured at her face.

"Yeah, of course, do you need any help?" Sara made to follow Sofia into the bathroom only to be stopped, being waved off with a hand.

"No," despite sounding like she had a severe cold, Sofia managed to sound casual, as though she broke her nose every day. "Trust me, it's nothing. I've dealt with much worse. I'm fine, really. Just, give me a minute."

"Yeah, ok" Sara, still extremely concerned with the seemingly never ending bleeding, waited patiently outside the partially closed bathroom door. If she tilted her head just a bit to the left she could see Sofia's reflection in the mirror. She watched with curiosity as the blonde woman raised her hands to her nose, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Right after the deep breath, Sara saw the detective quickly jerk her hands. A sickening crack met Sara's ears. It was followed by a gasp, a small scream and the sound of objects hitting tiles. Sara instantly pushed the door open, finding Sofia leaning heavily on the counter. Tears were gushing down her face, mixing with the river of blood that seemed to flow freely out of her nose. Sofia, one hand holding her nose and the other raising itself up, muttered between sobs, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."

"Jesus, Sofia," Sara grabbed a towel, eyes wide as she handed it to the bawling woman. "What did you do to yourself?" Her eyes were full of shock as she listened to Sofia's explanation.

"Well, when I pass- _slipped_ in the shower I hit my nose on the way down. It was crooked so I had to straighten it so it heals properly. It's nothing." Her breathing was shallow and she couldn't stop the tears from cascading down her cheeks. Sara immediately wrapped the injured woman in her arms, careful not to hit the bleeding nose. She felt Sofia flinch before finally relaxing into the warm embrace.

"You couldn't have gone to a doctor for that? I mean, at least they would have numbed it for you or something." She felt the woman in her arms shrug.

"Why pay for something I can do myself?" Her shuddering breaths were returning to normal. Surprise wandered briefly through her mind as she realized how soothing it was to be held in Sara's arms. She could feel lean biceps flexing around her body as she was brought more firmly into Sara's arms. A gentle hand had found its way to the back of her head and was running its fingers through her golden locks. Despite never wanting to ever be out of Sara's embrace, Sofia decided she needed to stop acting like a pansy. Sighing, she lightly pushed the slightly taller woman away, noticing the look of disappointment flashing across brown eyes. "Come on; let's go to the living room. I'll clean the blood up later." She glanced at Sara's shoulder and the blood that had soaked through it. "I'll get you a clean shirt it you want."

"That's alright," Sara said, following Sofia into the next room. She watched as Sofia walked behind the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. Sofia could feel dark eyes following her as she filled up a plastic bag full of ice, wrapping it in a kitchen cloth. "You know, you don't always need to act so brave."

"Trust me, I'm not brave." Sofia laughed softly as she sat down on her couch, sinking into the plush cushions. Sara wouldn't be calling her brave if she knew how scared she was of having a relationship with anyone, let alone another woman. She unsuccessfully tried to hold back a wince as she applied the makeshift ice compact onto her face.

"Sofia," Sara sat down next to the other woman so that their knees were just barely touching. Sofia's slight twitch did not go unnoticed by the sharp CSI. "You just broke your nose and fixed it all by yourself without any pain medication. Now you're sitting here talking to me as though nothing happened. If your nose wasn't still bleeding and the puffiness was gone, I wouldn't know anything was wrong with you at all."

Sofia frowned. "I'm not sure if that's a compliment."

"Neither am I." Sara's mouth twisted up into a slight smirk and the two women sat for a few minutes in silence.

"So," Sofia cleared her throat, deciding to bite the bullet and just get whatever was going to happen over with. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yes," Sara looked at her folded hands, pursing her lips before looking up with that gaze that made Sofia's breath hitch. "You've been avoiding me ever since I kissed you in the break room."

Sofia was glad that the ice pack shielded Sara from her jaw that had somehow fallen open. She was stunned by the overall bluntness that came from Sara. It seemed as though Sofia wasn't the only one biting the bullet tonight. "Yes, I have."

Sara nodded, clearly trying to put her next words together carefully. She appreciated the other woman being just as blunt as she herself was being. It certainly helped get straight to the point, whatever the point was. "I'd like to ask why you left, but I don't know if I want to hear your answer just yet."

"That's good, because I'm not sure if I have an answer for you." Sofia's voice was still a little raspy from all of the crying she had done that night. She was also starting to feel all of her pent up exhaustion sneaking up on her and she knew she couldn't stay awake much longer. Sara, sensing the other woman's weariness, decided to cut Sofia a break.

"You're about to pass out again, aren't you," she didn't say it as a question.

"What do you mean again?" Sofia's defenses instantly shot up at the accusation that she had anything wrong with her. Sara merely smiled; kindness and understanding written all over her face. Giving in to Sara for the second time that evening, Sofia hunched her shoulders and slowly nodded her head. "I feel like I'm going to collapse, I'm so tired."

"Here," Sara stood up off the couch and extended her hand out to Sofia. After staring carefully at the offered hand, Sofia grasped it tightly, once again amazed by the smooth skin of the taller woman. Nearly lifting Sofia to her feet, Sara put the other woman's arm around her waste and began to walk them towards where she assumed the bedroom was. She noticed that Sofia's eyes were beginning to close already. Barely making it to the bed without having to carry Sofia, Sara pulled back the covers before setting the blonde woman down. Once she had lifted the sheets back over the fatigued figure before her, Sara watched eyelids shutter close. Sofia's breathing becoming shallow as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Sofia," Sara whispered, watching Sofia's eyes open slightly to gaze up at her. "We are going to talk about what happened, ok?"

"Ok," her voice sounded small. Her eyes fluttered close again as she breathed out, "How about Monday morning after our shift? We can go for breakfast."

"Breakfast sounds great," Sara said with a slight smile. Her smile quickly faded as she leaned over the nearly sleeping woman. "Please don't avoid me again. I hated that."

Sofia managed to open her eyes at the pleading sound from the stubborn CSI. She watched as a single tear fell down Sara's cheek and Sofia felt guilty, suddenly realizing the pain she must have caused her. Lifting up a heavy hand without thinking, Sofia brushed the tear away with her thumb, murmuring in a hushed voice, "I wouldn't dream of it." With that, she closed her eyes, out cold.

Sara looked at the passed out detective. She looked so fragile, so peaceful. Staring briefly at the other woman's nose, Sara sighed and shook her head. It looks like she wasn't the only stubborn one. Turning off the lights, Sara made her way out of the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her. As she made her way to her car, her own body screaming for sleep, she smiled as she realized that she would be eating breakfast with Sofia Curtis in three days time; a feat she had been trying to conquer for nearly a year.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Warning: **Femslash and slight language

**Author's Note: **I'm trying to write this in about four pieces, possibly five. Please review if you like, or don't like.

**The Difference between Right and Wrong**

Part Three

The next day at work was not a pleasant one for Sofia. Her nose was still a little puffy and bruised. On top of that, she had two minor black eyes due to her broken nose. She had decided that no matter how much makeup she put on, it wouldn't help so she may as well just go to work as she was. Once she had arrived at the lab it felt as though everyone and their mom was asking her what had happened. At first she merely joked that they should see the other guy. Knowing that they would press her for more information, she made up a story about how she had gone for a run last night and gotten mauled by a hit and run bicyclist. Just as she finished telling the entire story yet again to a concerned Catherine, Sofia looked up mid sentence and met Sara's eyes across the break room. Hoping that Catherine hadn't noticed the brief stumble of her words, she looked away from the dark gaze and continued her story.

"Well, too bad that guy didn't have a license plate," Catherine joked as she picked up her coffee and headed past Sara, towards the door. "If he did I know you'd be out to get him."

The silence that engulfed the room as the older CSI left was deafening for Sofia, eyes being held captive yet again by the dark CSI leaning against the wall, random files in hand.

"Hey," croaked Sofia, her throat suddenly dry. She cleared her cleared it before trying again. "Hey."

"Hey," Sara looked slightly relieved that the blonde detective had acknowledged her. "How's your nose doing?"

"It's alright," Sofia's hand involuntarily reached up to tenderly brush the tip of her nose. "It definitely feels like I broke it."

"Yeah," Sara smiled before adding, "Damned bicyclist."

Sofia couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. Laughing definitely helped erase the tension that had previously been building up. "Yeah, I really need to watch out for those." She turned around to pour a cup of the famous CSI sludge, asking over her shoulder, "You want some?"

"I'd love some." Sara placed her files on top of the table as she pulled out a chair and sat down with a sigh. "Thanks." She took the mug being offered as the detective sat down next to her. They sat for a little while, sipping their coffee as the silence began to hover over them once again. As their eyes met Sofia felt as though she couldn't look away. She was being held prisoner in those dark brown eyes, not sure if she wanted to escape or stay forever.

"Damn," Sara looked down at her hands, fiddling with the mug handle. "There it is again."

"What?" Sofia wasn't following.

"The tension that's been following us everywhere, it's back." Sara's voice was barely audible and she found that she couldn't look up.

"Oh, that." Slightly comforted by the realization that she hadn't been imagining the tension between them, Sofia pushed her chair away from the table. Empty mug in hand, she headed over towards the sink to wash it out. About to turn the water on, she was stopped by a light touch to her shoulder. She closed her eyes, feeling that minor touch linger down her arm, only the body heat barely making contact with her skin. At last she felt that gentle touch again, brushing over her fingers that were holding the dirty mug.

"You got the coffee, I'll do the dishes. Plus, you don't seem to have good luck when it comes to washing mugs." The small joke did little to relieve the sensations that Sara's fingers were still stirring up within the petite blonde, especially because they were close enough for Sofia to feel Sara's breath tickling the hairs on her neck. Opening her eyes, Sofia tilted her head ever so slightly, her mouth barely a breath away from Sara's full lips. Sara's eyes were slightly dilated and Sofia could feel the hitched breathing from the other woman on her lips. Lifting her head slowly, she was seconds away from making contact when the mug slipped from there hands, startling the two women with its loud clatter. Regaining her composure, Sofia took a step sideways, away from Sara who was standing still, eyes closed, teeth holding her bottom lip in a death grip. Surprised by her overwhelming desire to replace Sara's teeth with her own, Sofia desperately tried to lighten the situation and pretend nothing had happened.

"It's ok; the mug didn't break this time." Sofia sucked in a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. "I should get back to work."

"Sofia," Sara's voice sounded distant but was firm enough to make Sofia face her. "What are you doing today after your shift?"

"Nothing," Sofia replied before thinking about the consequences of what she had just said.

"I know your shift ends an hour before mine, but I don't mind leaving a bit earlier if it means we can get breakfast today." She sighed. "I don't think I can wait till Monday to figure this out."

Sofia nodded, not able to resist the smirk that crossed her lips. "Sara Sidle? The famous workaholic wants to leave work early? Hell must be cold by now." The two women laughed together in the quiet break room.

"So, is that you're way of saying yes?"

"Yes it is." The smile that broke out across Sara's mouth radiated out of her eyes. Biting her lip again, eyes shinning with barely contained joy, Sara nodded and backed away, "Ok, I'll see you in a few hours." With that, she was out the door, leaving a breathless Sofia to stare at the sink at the two forgotten mugs.

"Hmm…" she picked up the one that she had dropped, noticing that the handle was chipped. Placing the mug back in the sink she decided to be one of the jerks who didn't wash their mug before leaving. She didn't quite care about that, though. All she could think of was that in a few hours she would be alone, with Sara Sidle, eating breakfast and talking about tension.


End file.
